In an article published on EUObserver on Friday, Minister of State Zoltán Kovács refuted the criticisms of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director, pointing out that Hungary’s measures have to date been effective in flattening the curve of the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic.

On the Brussels news portal, the Minister of State for International Communication and Relations responded to Kenneth Roth’s opinion piece in which he voiced concern due to the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “seizure of absolute power […] – under the cover of the coronavirus pandemic – culminates a decade of authoritarian moves”.

Mr Kovács highlighted that critics of the so-called authorisation legislation are not talking about the facts that Hungary’s measures – thus far – have been effective in flattening the curve, supporting the health care system, and saving Hungarian lives, and that the measures introduced are popular with the Hungarian people.

“While the director of Human Rights Watch gazes at his navel in Geneva, fretting about ‘authoritarian rot,’ the Hungarian people look for a steady hand at the rudder to navigate this storm,” he said.

He also stressed that governments in several Member States of the European Union have been given extraordinary powers; yet, no one cries ‘dictatorship’ in those countries.

He pointed out that what we are dealing with is not a breach of the rule of law; critics are drawing from the same liberal, Hungarian sources, and offer nothing to back up their claims.

“At a time when the action of sovereign national governments have proven effective, it’s time to stop the globalist rot undermining European solidarity,” Mr Kovács  wrote.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)